Endocrinologist is first woman to receive the WSAVA Scientific Achievement Award

Endocrinologist is first woman to receive the WSAVA Scientific Achievement Award

Dr Claudia Reusch, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine and Director of the Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, is to receive the 2021 WSAVA Award for Scientific Achievement.

She was chosen in recognition of her outstanding contribution to endocrinology in small animal medicine.

The award, given annually to an individual judged to have made a significant contribution to the field of small animal medicine, will be presented during this year’s WSAVA World Congress, which takes place from 13-16 November in Hyderabad, India.

Dr Reusch will present a WSAVA Award Lecture during the Congress.

Speaking about her win, she said: “With all the problems of the COVID-19 pandemic, this news was a wonderful surprise. It is a prestigious and competitive award and I feel extremely honoured to receive it.

‘Hard work and suppport’

“While it is awarded to me, many have contributed to it so I would like to thank my interns, residents and co-workers for their dedication, their hard work and support. As the first woman to receive this award, I would like to combine my thank you to the WSAVA with the hope that many more women will follow in the future.”

After she graduated Claudia Reusch worked in private small animal clinics in Germany before moving to the University of Munich, where she became Professor for Small Animal Internal Medicine in 1992.

She is a founding member of the European Society of Veterinary Endocrinology (ESVE) and was its president from 2001-2003. From 2003-2006 she was president of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Companion Animals (ECVIM-CA). In 2016 she was awarded honorary membership of ESVE and, in 2019, she became an honorary member of the Society for Comparative Endocrinology (SCE), USA.

Dr Reusch has also published more than 250 scientific articles and 30 book chapters and is co-editor of the textbook Canine and Feline Endocrinology.